Xiao Wu Seduces Gu Sheng?! A Wretched Bone!

Xiao Wu felt the wolfish stares surrounding her, and her body couldn't help trembling violently.

She shrank back in terror, trying to find somewhere to hide.

But on this enormous square,

there was nothing to be found except the cold white stone ground.

"What do you have to say, Shrek Academy?"

Standing on the high platform, Bibi Dong coldly swept her gaze over the members of Shrek Academy below.

Yu Xiaogang was being supported by Flender, and could barely stand.

He looked at Xiao Wu on the platform, then at the imposing Bibi Dong.

His lips moved, but in the end, he couldn't say a word.

What could he say?

Tang San had already escaped.

Those who remained had no way to stand against Spirit Hall.

"Dean, Aunt Erlong, Teacher Zhao..."

Xiao Wu looked at Flender and the others below, her voice hoarse as she called out to them.

"Take me away... please, take me away..."

Flender sighed and closed his eyes in pain, unable to bear looking at the pleading in Xiao Wu's eyes.

He was a man who valued loyalty and friendship.

But he was also the dean of Shrek Academy.

He couldn't let dozens of people from Shrek Academy be buried here just for Xiao Wu.

Liu Erlong looked utterly distraught.

She gazed helplessly at Yu Xiaogang.

But Yu Xiaogang merely clenched his fists and said nothing.

"It seems no one is willing to stand up for you."

Bibi Dong gave a cold laugh.

"Elder Ju, Ghost Elder, take this Soul Beast to the dungeon and keep her under strict guard!"

"Yes, Your Holiness the Pope!"

Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance, then hurriedly bowed and accepted the order.

The two stepped forward and roughly hoisted Xiao Wu up.

"Let go of me! Let go!"

Xiao Wu struggled wildly, but Gu Sheng had sealed her Soul Power. At that moment, she had less strength than an ordinary girl.

Her struggles

seemed utterly feeble and ridiculous before two Titled Douluo.

"Brother... save me... Brother..."

As Xiao Wu was taken away, she kept her eyes fixed on the sky.

She was still hoping.

Hoping that the black great hammer would come crashing down once more and take her away from this terrifying place.

But by the time she was escorted through the gates of Pope's Palace, only a few faint rays of sunlight fell from the once-gloomy sky.

That person had not come back after all.

Gu Sheng stood at the edge of the high platform, watching Xiao Wu being taken away. He shook his head with amusement.

"Human feelings really are laughably fragile."

He murmured to himself, his tone carrying an indescribable coldness and hauteur.

Bibi Dong walked over to him.

"Gu Sheng, we owe this to you."

Bibi Dong's voice was soft.

She knew that if Gu Sheng hadn't stopped Tang Hao at the last moment,

then even if she had driven Tang Hao off today, she wouldn't have been able to keep Xiao Wu—and Spirit Hall would have lost face as well.

"You're welcome."

Gu Sheng answered indifferently.

"Your Holiness the Pope, I only did what I had to do."

"As for what happens next, you can handle it yourself. I'm a little tired, so I'll go back and rest."

With that,

under the awe-struck and complicated gazes of the crowd, Gu Sheng turned and slowly disappeared into the shadows of Pope's Palace.

After he left,

Bibi Dong's gentle expression vanished, and she once again assumed the haughty, cold bearing of the Pope.

Her keen gaze swept across everyone in the square like frost.

"The tournament is over!"

"If anyone dares to reveal a single word about what happened today..."

"Spirit Hall will kill them, no matter where they flee!"

Her icy voice echoed above the square, lingering long after she had spoken.

Hearing this, the powerful figures from the sects and empires who had attended the tournament felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted.

They hurriedly bowed and left, leading their disciples away from Spirit City in a panic.

They knew

that from this day on,

the balance of power across Douluo Continent was about to change.

The commotion around Pope's Palace gradually faded into the distance.

Gu Sheng didn't return to his room to rest right away. Instead, he turned and headed for a side hall behind Pope's Palace.

It was a secluded chamber specially used to detain important prisoners.

Xiao Wu was currently bound tightly to a stone pillar by specially made Soul Power chains.

Her Soul Power had been sealed by Gu Sheng. She looked just like an ordinary girl with no means of fighting back.

Hearing the stone door open, Xiao Wu's body trembled violently. She looked up in terror.

When she saw Gu Sheng enter, the fear in her eyes reached its peak.

"Y-you... what are you going to do?"

Xiao Wu's voice was dry. She weakly shrank back, but the stone pillar behind her left her nowhere to go.

Gu Sheng slowly walked up to her and looked down at her with a calm expression.

"Nothing. I came to see whether a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's brain deteriorated along with her after her transformation."

At Gu Sheng's words, Xiao Wu bit her lip. A sheen of tears gradually appeared in her wide eyes.

She looked at Gu Sheng's impossibly handsome face. Her instinct to survive forced her to suppress the hatred in her heart.

"My lord, please spare me..."

Xiao Wu's voice suddenly turned soft and pliant, and her body began to tremble gently.

Her already tattered clothes slipped a little as she struggled, revealing her fair, delicate collarbones.

"If you'll let me go, or... or persuade Her Holiness the Pope not to kill me,"

"I'll do anything."

As she spoke, Xiao Wu lifted her head, a faint pink light shimmering in her swollen eyes.

Though her Soul Power was sealed and she couldn't use her charm skill, she brought out the innate allure of a Soft Bone Rabbit to its fullest.

She struggled to move closer to Gu Sheng.

"I'm a hundred-thousand-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit. Surely you know what a transformed Soul Beast is like, my lord?"

"If you spare my life, I'll be your slave."

"No matter what you want to do to me, I won't resist. Rabbits... are actually very docile."

When she finished, Xiao Wu deliberately blinked at him, her expression ingratiating.

To stay alive, to see Tang San again, she no longer cared about her dignity.

Yet Gu Sheng merely stood where he was, looking down at her.

His face showed no reaction at all, as if he were watching a ridiculous farce.

The chamber fell into an eerie silence.

After a long while, Gu Sheng finally spoke:

"Finished acting?"

His voice was soft and utterly flat. There wasn't even the slightest hint that he had been tempted.

Xiao Wu's face instantly turned deathly pale, and the coquettish charm she had forced herself to display crumbled away.

"You... you..."

Gu Sheng took a small step closer, his tone cold.

"You think I'd be interested in a rabbit like you?"

"Never mind that your body hasn't even fully transformed. Just thinking about you spending every day with that hypocrite makes me feel filthy."

"That Tang San you keep talking about ran off with his father when his life was on the line, leaving you here alone."

At the mention of Tang San, Xiao Wu grew agitated.

"No! Brother wouldn't abandon me! His Excellency Clear Sky forced him to leave!"

Gu Sheng shook his head in disdain.

"The truth is, you were left behind, and they ran."

"But none of that matters. Don't try those cheap, seductive tricks on me."

"I'm already married."

"My wife is a thousand, ten thousand times better than you."

"Compared to her, you're not even worth a single strand of her hair."

With that, Gu Sheng turned around, not even bothering to look at Xiao Wu again, and headed for the chamber's exit.

"Stay here and wait to become Bibi Dong's Soul Ring."

The stone door slowly closed with a muffled rumble, shutting out Xiao Wu's despairing cries.

When he returned to his sleeping quarters,

night had fallen, and Spirit City was silent.

A faint, soothing incense burned in the room, its light dim and warm.

Gu Sheng pushed open the door. A tall, flawless figure was seated at the dressing table.

Hearing him, she turned around, revealing a beautiful, otherworldly face.

Her long golden hair spilled over her shoulders like a waterfall, and her eyes were filled with tenderness.

It was Qian Renxue, no longer disguised as Xue Qinghe.

"Husband, you're back."

Qian Renxue stood and hurried over cheerfully.

Gu Sheng opened his arms and drew her soft body into his embrace.

"Mm, I'm back. Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Gu Sheng gently stroked her smooth hair, breathing in her faint, natural fragrance.

"I was waiting for you."

Qian Renxue rested her head against his chest and nuzzled him like a shy young wife.

"You were so impressive in front of Pope's Palace today, Husband."

"Even Clear Sky Douluo, supposedly the strongest on the continent, couldn't last a single move against you."

"I was watching from the side, completely entranced."

Hearing his wife's praise, a warm smile appeared on Gu Sheng's face.

"He was just a useless man barely keeping up appearances with a secret technique. He wasn't worth all that fuss."

"He even lost an arm protecting his son. He really was a sorry sight."

Qian Renxue looked up at Gu Sheng, her eyes sparkling.

"That's only because you're so strong, Husband."

"Under heaven, only you have such godlike power. You made Tang Hao bow down and behave."

"You're amazing, Husband."

Gu Sheng reached out and pinched her tender cheek.

"Why are you so sweet today? Is there something you want from me?"

"Not at all. I mean every word."

Qian Renxue gave a coy little pout, then slipped both arms around Gu Sheng's neck.

Their bodies pressed tightly together, and the temperature in the sleeping quarters seemed to rise.

"Husband, we're already married, but you're always running off. You never spend enough time with me."

Qian Renxue's lips pursed slightly, making her look a little aggrieved.

"I was just dealing with that rabbit. From now on, I'll stay with you every day."

Holding her, Gu Sheng slowly walked to the bed and lay down.

Qian Renxue snuggled close against his side like a docile cat.

"Husband, hold me tight."

Qian Renxue whispered softly, her hands gently stroking the front of his robes.

"You must be exhausted today, right? Let Xue'er massage your shoulders."

"Sure. Then I'll leave it to you, my dear wife."

Gu Sheng closed his eyes, enjoying Qian Renxue's gentle kneading.

The candlelight flickered as the red gauze curtains slowly fell.

That night was especially long, and especially tender.

The next morning.

Qian Renxue stood before the bronze mirror, gazing at her reflection with some reluctance. She had changed back into Xue Qinghe's appearance.

"Dear, we should return to the Heaven Dou Empire."

"The poison in that old scoundrel Xue Ye's body has built up to its limit. It's time for us to close the net."

Qian Renxue turned around and looked somewhat helplessly at Gu Sheng, who was sitting on the edge of the bed as he got dressed.

"Once we return to the Heaven Dou Empire, I'll have to wear this mask all day again. It's so annoying."

Gu Sheng stepped forward and gently drew the "handsome young man," who was a little shorter than him, into his arms.

Although she looked like Xue Qinghe, to Gu Sheng's senses, the person in his arms was still his gentle, soft-hearted wife.

"Don't worry. Once we go back and deal with Xue Ye, you won't have to disguise yourself anymore."

"How can the mighty Qian Renxue spend her whole life living under someone else's identity?"

At Gu Sheng's words, a sweet look flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes.

"I'll do whatever you say, dear."

Half a day later, a luxurious carriage rolled out of Spirit City and sped toward the Heaven Dou Empire.

Inside the carriage, Gu Sheng and Qian Renxue sat side by side.

The "Crown Prince," who was stern and aloof before outsiders, was now resting her head on Gu Sheng's lap, eating fruit he had peeled for her without a care for appearances.

"Dear, when we return this time, if Xue Ye passes away, those old fellows in the imperial family might make a move."

Qian Renxue spoke with her mouth somewhat full.

"It doesn't matter. With me here, anyone who dares make trouble will be killed."

Gu Sheng's voice was soft, yet carried an unquestionable force.

At that, Qian Renxue's smile grew brighter.

"You're the best, dear."

Several days later, in the imperial palace of the Heaven Dou Empire.

A heavy, somewhat musty scent of medicinal herbs filled Emperor Xue Ye's bedchamber.

On the sickbed, the once-mighty emperor lay there, his face gaunt and his breathing faint.

"Qinghe... you're back..."

Emperor Xue Ye struggled to open his eyes and looked at "Xue Qinghe," who had entered.

"Father, your son has returned."

Qian Renxue stepped forward, her face wearing just the right expression of worry and grief.

"Your son has sought out a renowned physician. He'll surely be able to cure your illness, Father."

As she spoke, Qian Renxue turned aside, revealing Gu Sheng behind her.

Emperor Xue Ye looked at Gu Sheng with some difficulty, then gave a faint shake of his head.

"It's no use... I know my own body. I'm afraid I won't last more than a few days."

"Qinghe, the empire... will be in your hands from now on..."

Gu Sheng stepped forward and quietly looked at the old man lying in bed.

He could sense that the life force within Emperor Xue Ye had indeed been extinguished. At this point, the old man was merely clinging to his final breath with the help of a few precious medicinal herbs.

"Since you know you won't last, you may as well rest sooner, Your Majesty."

Gu Sheng's voice rang out abruptly in the bedchamber.